Long Forgotten
by Riley Cruce
Summary: Updated! And will be updated again soon! Rory goes to Yale only to find a too-familiar face.
1. IT

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls and have no chance of EVER owning Gilmore Girls, so don't sue me.  Besides, you'll get like $40 _MAX_.

 *California*

Jess tiptoed into his father's dark room and picked up the worn leather wallet lying on the dresser.  Carefully he removed the bills and buried them deep in his pocket.

Returning to his own room, Jess grabbed his duffel bag and stepped out the open window, past the screen leaning against the wall.  He carefully stepped over the sleeping dogs and reached the gate.  He turned back momentarily to take down the address on a crumpled sheet of paper.

Turning away and starting down the road under the night sky he whispered, "Good-bye, I'm off to Yale."

*Stars Hollow*

 "Well, this is it," Rory said, stuffing her hands nervously in her pockets.

"Yep.  This _would_ be 'it', whatever 'it' is.  Maybe 'it' is an ice cream sundae, maybe 'it' is a walk in the park or maybe 'it is your baby leaving home," Lorelai said, very dramatically. 

 "Ah Mom," Rory replied, taking Lorelai a little more seriously than intended, "its not forever.  And its close.  And its only for… a little while," Rory replied reassuringly, but still with a tint of nervousness in her voice. 

"Would you stop it with the I-word!!" 

 "What I-word?  Oh I get **it**.  **It** is **it**. **It it it it it**!!!" Rory teased and both Rory and Lorelai got into Rory's packed graduation gift laughing. 


	2. In Twenty Years

Disclaimer: Don't own Gilmore Girls. Sorry.  
  
A note or two: I started this story before Rory went to college. Now I'm gonna do a really evil thing.. I'm gonna skip introducing Rory to college in my own story. We know she's at college, and in the next chapter everything that's happened so far this season has happened (although next episode she goes on a date - that does NOT happen in the story). Also, this is going to be a relatively short story (although I may draw it out, because I like short chapters, they give you lots of stopping places), so you won't have to be disappointed over me skipping all of that because I'm going to try to keep it moving relatively fast. That said, here we go:  
  
Jess burst into the first office he saw on campus.  
  
"I need a job here," Jess announced.  
  
"Here-Yale-here, or right-here-here?" asked an aging balding man sitting behind a desk.  
  
"Somewhere on the campus."  
  
"Now?"  
  
"No, in twenty years," Jess said sarcastically.  
  
"Do you have any teaching experience?" the man asked seriously, as if he might actually offer this young interruption a teaching job.  
  
"I can teach someone to screw up their life," he muttered.  
  
"Excuse me?" asked the bald man who hadn't heard Jess' remark.  
  
"No, I don't have any teaching experience," said Jess in the exasperated tone he often used.  
  
"Good," said the man, "because I'm the head of the custodial staff here." Jess shrugged and the man smiled for the first time since Jess entered the room. 


	3. No Signs But Wet Floor

Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls. I simply borrow them at times ;)  
  
A note: I started this story before Jess was coming back. So it will continue as if the stuff in the show didn't happen (unless like Jess happens to do something that would be good in the story - but I'll let you know if that happens).  
  
Jess had been an official Yale custodian for three weeks. He had vaccumed, mopped, swept, scrubbed, and dusted for ten times longer than he had expected to over his entire life in just the first week with no progress. Well, sure, he had managed to clean plenty and his boss was happy with him, but he wasn't in it for the money. He was doing it just for the chance that he might get to see Rory. That once she saw him she would stay long enough for him to explain. Long enough for him to tell her the truth. But so far, Jess hadn't even seen a glimpse of something that even somewhat resembled Rory.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
College life suited Rory. She was having fun, yet it was challenging. And she was learning and reading constantly, two things with which there was never a dull moment in her life. She saw her mother, Lane, and the rest of the Stars Hollow cast often enough to keep her happy. She was making friends. She was living what she had dreamt about for years.  
  
Exiting the classroom after a ruthless debate over Shakespeare's many insane characters, Rory entered the wide Yale hallway. A janitor stood further down the hall, mopping the floor with a glowing yellow "Wet Floor" sign positioned next to him. Rory came closer to the janitor and had almost passed him when she pulled to a halt suddenly, having seen his face.  
  
"Jess," she gasped, the name barely making a noise, yet she was close enough to him for him to hear.  
  
His attention gathered by the sound of his name, Jess turned. He saw her. This was his chance. "Rory!"  
  
But he had missed his opportunity. She had already fled halfway down the hall, tears erupting from her eyes. 


	4. He He He

Disclaimer: Don't own Gilmore Girls  
  
Note: The episode or two in which Jess returned to Stars Hollow for his car never happened in this story.  
  
Lorelai picked up the phone to find a crying noise on the other end. "Rory?...Michel? Who is-"  
  
"Michel?" asked Rory a little amused despite her own crying.  
  
"Didn't I tell you about that time he totally broke down? Rory? Hun, what's wrong?"  
  
"He's," she stopped to snuffle, "he's, h-he's back Mom," Rory finally got out.  
  
"He, he, he who?" Lorelai asked, trying to make her daughter smile while still pressing for information at the same time.  
  
"J-... J- J-..." Rory tried to release his name from her mouth, but it wouldn't come.  
  
"Who? John, Jeremiah, James, Joey, Jes-"Lorelai stopped suddenly as she realized who Rory was talking about. Rory's sobs grew louder in her ear. "Jess? He's back? Like at Yale back?"  
  
Rory nodded, forgetting with the comfort of Lorelai's voice that her mother couldn't see her.  
  
"Rory?"  
  
"Yeah, Jess is here," Rory managed to get through the sentence and Lorelai knew that that meant that now Rory was ready to rant and fume.  
  
"How could he do this to me? Here. At Yale. A janitor. Does he want to fix everything? Does he think he can? Does he think..." Rory gulped as her sobs began to return to her, "Does he think, that I... I still love him?" By the time Rory reached the last two words, her voice had become almost nothing, and her crying overtook her immediately after the words left her mouth.  
  
"Ah... baby... come home for a little while... we'll sort things out," Lorelai kindly encouraged.  
  
Rory made a sound that vaguely resembled "Yes".  
  
"I love you hun. Come on home."  
  
Read, Review, Give me constructive criticism! 


	5. Home

Disclaimer: If I owned Gilmore Girls, believe me, you would know. Sadly, I don't...  
  
Note: I am so sorry! Thank you gemstar2 for bringing to my attention that I am completely ignorant of other parts of the world! I totally did not mean to give away that Jess would return – I just viewed it as vital to those who had already seen him return. Once again, greatest apologies!  
  
Rory sat in the car that stood in the driveway. She couldn't get over the fact that it didn't feel right to be here. She loved Stars Hollow and being home and it certainly felt like home here. And she most definetly wanted her mom, as childish as it made her feel. And although her face was streaked with tears, she couldn't help but feel like she was running from something that she didn't need to run from. And that made her feel all the more awful.  
  
Lorelai rapped her fingers on the car window. Rory cut off the ignition and opened the door, still staring straight forward at the house. Lorelai dodged the door and then lowered herself to Rory's level in her sports car.  
  
"I'm running. And I... I shouldn't be."  
  
Lorelai started to hug her poor daughter, but before she could wrap her arms entirely around Rory, Rory turned and suddenly things began to spill out of her mouth.  
  
"He's the one that left me. It was his fault, HIS loss. Why am I leaving? Why am I running? Why isn't he? What about California? He should be running! He should be in... Hong Kong by now! Far, far away! I'm... this is stupid! I shouldn't be doing this; I shouldn't be like this!" Rory motioned to her wet, red face, and then, if doubting herself, asked, "Right?"  
  
Lorelai, who had retracted her arms before in Rory's anger, now brought them out extremely quickly as if not wanting to miss her chance for the second time. She embraced her daughter, comforting her, and slowly, led her into the house.  
  
Review, Review, Review! 


End file.
